State Judge Reginald "Reggie" Badeaux in Covington accepted Snell's plea in his chambers and sentenced him to two years of probation. With good behavior, Snell could complete the conditions of his probation in a year.

Snell, now 51, was booked with driving while intoxicated after a state trooper pulled him over about 1:50 a.m. Sept. 28, 2008, in Mandeville, on U.S. 190 near North Causeway Boulevard. Snell refused a breathalyzer and blood test. He was not suspended from WVUE following his arrest.

An Illinois native, Snell came to WVUE in 1994 after an 11-year stint at WWL-Channel 4, the recipient of what was at the time the highest paid contract in New Orleans TV history - five years, $1.5 million

While Snell originally had also been charged with improper lane usage, the St. Tammany Parish district attorney's office and Judge Badeaux agreed to drop that charge as a part of the plea.

His private defense lawyer, Brice Jones of Slidell, had strongly argued against both charges, saying that because Snell had only touched, but not crossed, the center line of the highway that Snell should not have been pulled over. A video recorded on a State Police car's camera and played in a court hearing earlier this year showed Snell driving fast and weaving.

Snell pleaded guilty under state Article 894, which allows a deferral of his sentence and expungement of the charge from his record if he successfully completes his probation.

The dismissal of a charge under 894 has the same effect as an acquittal, except that the conviction may be considered as a first offense and provide the basis for subsequent prosecution of Snell as a multiple offender if he is pulled over for a DWI in the future.

It is only possible to use Article 894 once every 10 years for a driving while intoxicated offense, and in many parishes - St. Tammany included - judges are hard-pressed to give out more than one 894, regardless of the timeline.